The Denial
by adromir
Summary: While Sam is recuperating following a surgery, a woman abducts him from the hospital, thinking he was her dead husband.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, guys. I felt like crying when they announced that Season 5 would be Flashpoint's last. Sob. My heart is breaking to pieces over this news. Anyway, even though the superb show will eventually end, the fictions will keep on coming. So, here's another one to keep it alive!**

**Summary : While Sam is recuperating following a surgery, a woman abducts him from the hospital, thinking he was her dead husband.**

* * *

"You're limping," Spike commented with a concerned frown.

"Yeah, thanks for stating the obvious," Sam responded with a roll of his eyes. "I pulled a muscle when chasing that SOB."

He gestured at the subject—a drug abuser who was a suspect in a recent killing of his own wife—now sitting handcuffed in the backseat of a patrol car. "That guy may look like a beanpole, as if a gust of wind can knock him over, but he has fast legs on him. Not an easy chase."

"Right. And everyone knows how you love to chase after fast things," Ed joined in the conversation. He gave Sam an intense gaze. "Braddock, you were already limping when you came into shift this morning. What, you pulled a muscle while chasing someone in your sleep?"

"Ha ha ha. Funny." Sam shook his head as he turned to go, but Jules was standing in his way.

"You have been limping since last _night_," she interjected with a glare, her arms akimbo. "I asked you about it and you told me that it was nothing serious."

"It _is_ nothing serious." Starting to get annoyed, Sam tried to walk past her, only to bump into Raf's solid built. Throwing his hands in the air, the blond SRU officer grumbled, "Ah, terrific. You're all ganging up on me!"

"Sam, we can tell that you're not well." This came from the Sergeant who calmly walked over towards the group. "Your face is flushing."

Sam chuckled in dismissal. "I'm not blushing."

"I said flushing, not blushing. There's a difference. Your face is all red."

"And you are perspiring," Spike pointed out.

"Because it's hot! And I just ran almost a mile to catch our subject."

"Are you having a fever?" When Jules reached out to feel his forehead, Sam brushed her off.

"Enough. There's nothing wrong with me, okay? I don't need—"

"I did not kill her! Let me go, you bastards! I did not kill her, you hear me?"

In reflex, Team One swiveled around with their weapons raised towards the frantic shouting. The still handcuffed murder suspect was struggling for release as two uniform officers tried to settle him down. He kicked hard, sending one cop flying. Seeing an opening, he wiggled about and managed to push himself out of the patrol car. The other cop grabbed for his arm, but like an eel the suspect slithered away and started running.

"Great. Here we go again." His temper already flaring, Sam burst into speed, barely aware that Ed and Raf were just a step behind. The subject was running towards the freeway that bordered the seedy neighborhood, the same escape path he had taken before.

Sam was having none of that. He had gone tired of chasing after this guy. When only a few yards separated them, he threw caution to the wind and took a flying leap. The tackle sent both subject and SRU officer crashing to the ground, causing them to simultaneously cry out in pain.

"Don't move, don't move! Stay down!" Ed was yelling, his MP5 pointed straight at the subject's face. He then turned to Raf. "How's Sam doing?"

Before Raf could reply, Sam snapped back, "_He_ is doing fine. Thanks for asking."

Grumbling curses under his breath, he rolled over and pushed himself up. "This time, they should cuff his legs too. Knowing this guy, he might try another runner—augghhh!"

Without warning, Sam cried out and bent over, grabbing his lower abdomen.

"Sam!" Raf reached over to hold him steady. "What's wrong? Are you in pain?"

At first, Sam couldn't even speak, so sharp the agony was. His face screwing in a grimace, he took a few shaky breaths and released them through his mouth.

"Sam? You're alright?" asked Ed with a worried gaze. He had never seen Sam like that before.

"Yep. Peachy." Shrugging away from Raf, Sam straightened and started to double back to the rest of the team, his steps a little slow and hesitant.

This caused Ed to shake his head. "Like a pig."

"More like a bull," added Raf.

Sam paused to scowl at them. "What the hell you guys talking about?"

"The level of your obstinacy, Sam. That's what," said Ed, yanking the captured subject to his feet with Raf's assistance. "Either you're pigheaded or bullheaded. You pick. Whichever you choose, you're as stubborn as a mule."

Sam's only response was a sharp glare before he continued to limp forward. When he got to the patrol car, he grabbed the subject by the collar and shoved him face down into the vehicle. Sam quickly tied a flexi cuff around the subject's ankle, ignoring the man's cries of protest. That done, he then slammed the door shut and curtly told the unis to immediately take their 'package' away. Turning around, he noticed that his entire team was giving him a strange look.

"_What_?" he growled. "The guy pissed me off!"

"Dude, something's definitely not right with you," said Spike.

"Dude, lay off already," Sam retorted. "I repeat, nothing's wrong with me."

Parker put a calming hand on Sam's shoulder. "I think you should see a doctor."

"What do I need a doctor for? I'm perfectly fine."

"Oh, really? Prove it," Parker said with narrowed eyes. And then he added with a sharp bark, "Atten-_hut_!"

As an ex-military man who had been instilled with strict discipline since he was a child, Sam naturally reacted at the command. He reflexively stood up straight and still, eyes forward and arms pressed to the sides. But not for long.

Seconds later, Sam was doubled over, kneading his groin with a low moan.

"Perfectly fine, huh?" Sighing, Parker reached up to feel the younger man's clammy forehead. "You're burning up. Go to the hospital, Sam. Get yourself fully checkup."

"I don't need hospital. An aspirin will do." Sam instantly jerked away, genuinely angry now. "You guys making a big deal out of nothing. I'm not going to the hospital and no one can make me go!"

In unison, the rest of the team turned to Jules.

She blinked. "What do you want me to do? Shoot him? Not even a bullet can penetrate that thick skull of his."

"Bite me," Sam shot back.

Ed began to lose his patience. "Oh, for god's sake, Sam! Why are you being so difficult?"

"I'm not being difficult, okay? I'm being reasonable. So back off. I can handle little fever. I've had much worst."

Jules was smiling that knowing smile of hers. "I know why you're like this. You think you're such a macho guy. You hate being weak."

Sam scoffed. "What? That's ridiculous."

"Don't deny it, Sam. You're not well, you're obviously in pain, and that scares you. A lot."

"Come on. Give me a break." Albeit weakly, Sam laughed and turned to leave. Parker placed a restraining hand against his chest, though.

"Are you nauseated?" the Sergeant asked, sounding serious. Shaking his head, Sam started to say no. But then his face turned green, a second before he bent over to the side and vomited into the gutter.

"I guess that means yes," Spike deadpanned, patting his upchucking teammate in the back.

Parker's face was grim. "Alright, that's it. We're sending you to the hospital."

"Boss…"

"No argument, Sam. I've seen these symptoms before. Aspirin won't help you at all."

"Symptoms to what, Sarge?" Raf wanted to know.

"Strangulated hernia."

At that, Sam's eyes grew wide with shock, and then he vomited some more.

"Winnie," Parker spoke into his mic, "Get an ambulance here fast. Tell them that we have an officer who needs an immediate surgery on a suspected strangulated hernia."

"Copy, Boss."

Quickly rinsing his mouth with a bottled water that Jules had passed to him, Sam protested, "No, no. Scratch that ambulance. I'll go to the hospital on my own."

"Sorry, Sam. Right this moment, we don't trust you. We will put you into that ambulance ourselves to ensure that you get there."

Sam looked like he wanted to object, and so Parker quickly said, "I knew someone. Like you, he showed all the symptoms, suffering intense pain near the groin area. He was advised to go to the hospital for immediate surgery. And like you, he refused."

"What happened to him next?" Ed was curious.

"He died within hours later."

And so, when the ambulance finally arrived, Sam let himself being loaded onto the stretcher, grumbling all the way about smothering 'mother-hens'. At least he had stopped arguing.

"I just hope we're not too late," Parker ruefully remarked when the paramedics shut close the back door of the ambulance. "Unbelievable. He shouldn't even be on shift today. He has been in a lot of pain and still he pushes himself. Heck, he even managed to catch the subject. _Twice_."

"Like I said. Pig," Ed responded, his head shaking.

"Mule is more like it," Jules retorted. She was deeply worried, but was able not to make it too obvious. "Stubborn, stupid and making an ass of himself about it."

"No argument there," the rest of Team One replied, watching as the ambulance quickly disappeared from sight, sirens blaring.

* * *

The medical team at the hospital confirmed what Sergeant Parker's had predicted. It was indeed a strangulated hernia. Without wasting time, Sam was immediately admitted for herniorrhaphy.

He couldn't recall any of it, thank God, as he was totally out cold during the entire procedure. The anesthetic only began to wear off when they wheeled him out of surgery, though his mind still felt as if it was filled with cottons. His surroundings looked so vague and blurry he thought he was dreaming.

Some women were quarrelling nearby, he could hear. Yet, in his bleary state, it sounded so far away and indecipherable. At first he thought it was Jules, giving the nurses a hard time. That made him grin. But then he realized that was highly unlikely as Team One should still be on shift. He gave a mental shrug at that and drifted into sleep.

It felt like only minutes later when he was pulled back to consciousness as someone gently shook him awake. His eyes fluttered open and found a dark-haired woman smiling down at him.

"Jules…"

"No, dear. It's me. Angel," said the woman, still smiling as she caressed his cheek.

"You're an angel?" Sam blinked, thoroughly confused. "Am I dead?"

She softly laughed. "Oh, honey, it's me. Angela. But you've always called me Angel."

"Angela. Who…do I know you?"

She tsked. Lowering the bedrail, she said, "Well, I don't blame you for not recognizing me. This people shot you up with too much drugs, enough to addle your brain."

"Wait. Wh…what are you doing?"

Swiping the covers off him, the woman placed an arm around Sam's shoulders and carefully pulled him upright. "I'm going to get you out of here fast. Before they kill you!"

Sam blinked. He thought he didn't hear that right. And most importantly, who the hell was this woman?

"What do you mean? Who's going to kill me?" Sam stared, stupefied, as she unhooked him from the heart monitor.

"There's no time to talk, Adam. We've got to move now before Nurse Ratched comes back. Here, let me help you put this on," she said and deftly wrapped him with a dressing robe.

"Hold on," Sam protested. He tried to push her away, but his limbs felt so heavy. His entire body was still in lethargy from the anesthetic. Besides, she was quite strong for a woman, and he just had a surgery, for crying out loud! "Angel, Angela, whoever you are, I'm not Adam."

Holding his gaze, she shook her head. "I know this is confusing to you, my dear. But trust me, I'm trying to save your life. You're in danger here."

"But it's a hospital!"

"Exactly. That's why you need to leave." With an exceptional strength, the woman helped lift Sam and transferred him into a wheelchair waiting by the bed.

"Angela, you're making a mistake—hey!" He cried out when the woman suddenly jabbed his arm with a syringe.

"It's to keep you calm, make you relax," she responded in an assuring tone. "Don't worry, honey. I'll take care of you."

Sam's vision started to swim. The woman's face was growing out of focus. Whatever she had injected him with, it was not to keep him awake. "Who….who _are_ you?"

"Why, dear. I'm your wife," was her innocent reply.

"_Wife_?" Sam jerked in surprise.

And then he knew nothing more.

**TBC...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, guys. Thanks for following this fic. Here's a new chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Seriously? A Pink Ranger?" commented Jules as she curiously eyed the stuffed toy that Spike was carrying under his arm. "Can't you get him a stuffed crocodile or dinosaur or…you know, something less feminine?"

The team's computer wizard grinned back. "The gift shop downstairs doesn't sell any of those. Besides, this is perfect! Sam once mentioned that he thinks the girl who plays the Pink Ranger character looks exactly like you, Jules."

She stared at him in disbelief. "_What_?"

"That's true. I heard, I was there," Ed said, laughing. "But what I really wanna know is why you even bother buying Sam a stuffed toy, Spike. He is a full grown man, if you haven't noticed."

"He has been in these weird moods lately. The toy might cheer him up," replied Spike. "Also, this is like a peace offering. I'm not sure whether he still wants to talk to us after we literally forced him into that ambulance at gun point!"

Team One's shift for that day had just ended. Still in uniform, they all had rushed to St. Simon Hospital to find out how their ailing teammate was doing. Raf and Sergeant Parker had gone up straight to Sam's room, while Ed and Jules waited for Spike as he went gift-shopping.

When they emerged from the elevator at second floor, Raf was already waiting there, his face grim as he announced, "Guys, we have a problem."

"What's wrong?" Ed frowned.

"Is Sam alright?" Jules asked, her heart skipping a beat.

"That's just it. We don't know," Raf replied, his head shaking. "Sam is missing."

"_Missing_?" They simultaneously cried out loud in dismay.

"How can he be missing?" Ed wondered, "Where could he be?"

"Sarge is talking to one of the nurses, trying to figure out what's happening," Raf explained, leading the way towards the nurses' station.

"You think Sam has checked himself out, AMA?" Spike suggested. "We know how strongly he objected to be hospitalized earlier."

"That doesn't sound like Sam at all," Jules disagreed. "If he decided to leave the hospital, he would at least let us know."

"And he's in no condition to get himself anywhere, not after the type of surgery he has just gone through," Ed pointed out.

At the nurses' station, Sergeant Parker turned at their approach. "Hey. Raf has filled you guys in?"

"Yeah, Boss. What's going on?" asked Jules, unable to keep the anxiety out of her voice.

"This is Nurse Sandy," Parker introduced them to a woman in pink scrubs standing next to him. "Sam is under her care, or _was_, before she discovered his empty bed an hour ago."

"Ma'am, how is it possible that you managed to lose a patient?" Ed inquired, his eyes narrowing.

The woman was taken slightly aback by Ed's slightly accusing tone. She looked uncertainly at Parker, who then said, "Tell them what you've just told me."

Swallowing hard, she straightened her spine and started explaining, "The surgery went well, no complications at all. We put Officer Braddock into a room to convalesce and let the anesthetic wear off before I returned to do a routine check-up on his vitals. That's when I found him gone."

"Show us his room," Ed instructed.

"It's this way."

The team followed her further down the hallway towards the third room on the right. It had a single bed, with the sheets turned and rumpled as if the occupant had left in a hurry. Tubes and wires dangled freely from the machines and monitors, creating a despondent scene.

"I've checked, he was not in the washroom, he was not anywhere on this floor," Nurse Sandy continued to say. "We found no sign of him."

"So you have no idea where he's gone?" asked Spike. "He couldn't possibly walk past the nurses' station without anybody seeing him, not in his current condition."

"If he had used the main elevator, then yes, the nurses on watch would know," she insisted. "But there's a freight elevator in the back. We won't be able to notice if he left that way."

"Was he acting strange?" It was Parker's turn to ask. "Did he give you troubles or anything like that?"

Nurse Sandy shook her head. "Not in the least. I mean, he was still pretty much out of it when we wheeled him out of the OR. But then this woman approached his bed and started to create a scene."

"What woman?" Jules was quick to ask.

"Oh, she's a regular here. Her name is Angela Morris."

Ed shook his head in disapproval. "What was she doing, disturbing your patient? And you _let_ her?"

"Of course not! I chased her away myself, and made sure she left."

"What did she want with Sam?"

"I'm not sure, but she seemed quite taken with your friend." Sighing, Nurse Sandy added, "Look, Angela's a wounded soul. Her husband was treated here for lymphoma. Unfortunately, he died on the operating table during a bone marrow transplant about six months ago. Angela took it real hard. She can't accept his death, so it affected her mind and emotion. She has been seeing one of our psychiatrists, but she keeps coming to this floor where she last saw her husband alive."

Team One exchanged knowing glances. Now they were getting somewhere.

"I noticed the CCTV outside in the hallway," said Spike in anticipation. "How can I get access to it?"

"Security room, first floor. I'll make the call, tell them you're coming."

"Do it."

Not long afterwards, they were viewing the monitors that showed the video recording from the hallway cameras. Spike was at the helm, running back the video sequence within the previous hour.

"Okay, here we go. That is Sam, they're wheeling him to his room, and…whoa. Is that her?"

On the screen, a tall dark-haired woman had suddenly entered the frame. She rushed towards Sam's bed, looking highly agitated as she bent over him.

"Yes, that's Angela," Nurse Sandy confirmed.

"What's she saying?" asked Ed, as the woman in the video confronted the nurses who were pulling her away from Sam's bed.

"She demanded us to release him, to let him go home with her." The nurse shrugged, and added, "She thought he was her husband, Adam."

"She thinks _Sam_ is her husband?" Jules' eyes drew to a slit as she hissed, "Over my dead body!"

Giving Jules' shoulder a squeeze to calm her down, Parker said, "Fast forward, Spike. Let's see if we can find out how Sam managed to go missing."

His eyes intent on the screen, Spike worked the toggle. After a certain time elapsed, the woman reappeared. She seemed to come from the direction of the freight elevator, pushing an empty wheelchair along. Warily looking about, she then entered Sam's room. Minutes later, she emerged with the unconscious Sam and rushed away out of camera range.

Team One's suspicion was now confirmed. One of their own had been abducted.

"Looks like we have a situation here," Parker remarked, his face grim. "Sandy, you have this woman's address?"

"Sure, it's in the file," the nurse replied. "But, Sergeant, Angela is harmless. She might be depressed, a little off in the head, but she won't hurt anyone."

"We can't be sure on that," Ed said. "Highly depressed people may also be delusional. This might cause them to react outside their norms, which could be very dangerous."

"So we need to find them fast before Angela does anything that would threaten Sam's life, and even hers," said Parker, already moving.

* * *

The sound of a clock ticking slowly pulled him back to consciousness.

Fluttering his eyes open, Sam weakly rolled his head from side to side as he tried to gather his surroundings. To his dismay, he found himself no longer in the hospital. He was now lying in a massive bed in a large bedroom. From the look of things, the space obviously belonged to a married couple.

Sam grimaced, finding it highly disturbing to lie in a strangers' bed. He pushed himself upright with a groan, his head swimming from the effects of whatever juice the woman had injected him with. Looking down, he saw that a white t-shirt and sweat pants had replaced his hospital gown.

Chagrined, he softly cursed. A strange woman had undressed and redressed him?

_Shit. Jules gonna kill me!_

Still reeling, he swung his legs to the side. That was when the door suddenly opened and the woman, Angela, walked in carrying a tray.

"Adam!" She was ecstatic to see him awake. Rushing to the bed, she put the tray down and gently shoved him back against the pillows. "You should be resting, honey. You are not well."

"I should be in the hospital," Sam protested, jerking away from her touch. "And I am _not_ Adam!"

"Oh, sweetheart. I know this is so confusing to you—"

"I'm not confused, lady. I'm pissed!" he all but shouted, and then had to clench his eyes tightly shut when pain erupted in the lower region of his body.

This was not good, not good at all. He was still in stupor, both from the anesthetic and the drug she had given him. And now the stitches from the surgery felt like they were about to come undone, while this woman kept calling him with another man's name. Yeah, this was _bad_.

Knowing that he needed to stay level-headed to get out of this mess, Sam took a few calming breaths before fixing his gaze on her. "Look, I'm sorry I shouted at you."

She broke into smiles. "Oh, that's alright, baby. I know how you feel, being so ill. Don't worry a thing, okay? I'll take care of you until you get well."

"How about you take me back to the hospital," Sam implored in the placating tone he normally used with a disturbed subject. "I think the doctors there can help me get better a lot faster—"

"_No_!" she yelled, her face turning red with anger. "The doctors can't help you, Adam. You go back there and you'll _die_! Those people keep promising to make you well but they lie. They always lie, giving us false hopes, when in fact they don't even have a clue what they're doing. I won't go through all that shit again. Please, Adam. I love you. I don't want to lose you."

Stunned by the vehemence of her words, Sam could only stare at her for a long moment. Finally, he said, "Okay, Angela, I know you're scared. But nothing bad is gonna happen to me in the hospital. They took very good care of me there."

"You don't know that, Adam! I saw how the doctors and nurses look at you, like you're a mysterious lab rat they want to dissect to figure out what's wrong inside you. I won't let them come near you again. You're my husband and I know how to make you healthy once more." She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "Trust me, my love. You're good in my hands."

Sam gulped, totally unnerved by the sheer attention he received from this woman. He knew something was not right with her, that she was delusional. In any other situation, he would simply knock down the subject and be done with it. Unfortunately, his current condition was far from favorable. He was afraid that he might fall flat on his ass if he attempted to even stand, let alone got physical with her.

"So, are you hungry?" Angela asked, smiling again. Gesturing at the tray of food she had brought in, she added, "I've made you some soup, honey. Here, let me feed you."

"Uh…wait, Angela." Sam reached up to stop the spoon from touching his lips. Who knew what drugs she had mixed in there. "I…uh…I need to use the bathroom."

"Oh?" She raised her eyebrows, putting down the bowl of soup. "Let me get you the urinal cup—"

"No! Please…" Sam frowned, thinking fast to get himself away from her, or at least to be able to make a call for help. Sadly, there was no sign of a phone or cellphone inside the room. "Angela, I'd rather use the bathroom. It would make me feel…um…normal."

"Okay, sure."

She bent over to slip one arm under his knees and the other around his shoulders, causing him to balk, "What the hell are you doing?"

"I will carry you to the bathroom, like I used to. Why?"

Thoroughly embarrassed, Sam hastily pulled himself out of her arms. He could tell that she was strong, but _that_ strong? Well, that answered how she was able to transport him to this house all by herself with no trouble.

"No need to carry me. I can get to the bathroom on my own power."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Shakily, Sam got to his feet. For a few seconds, he needed to lean against the bedpost to get his bearings. Angela reached over the steady him but he waved her away. "I can manage."

And then, clutching his tummy, he slowly and carefully made his way towards the bathroom. When inside, he bolted the door shut and quickly looked for the bathroom window. He almost cried with relief when he saw it. The window was large enough for him to fit through. The only problem was it stood about five feet above the floor.

"Adam. Are you alright in there?" Angela called from outside.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just need a second," Sam responded, his eyes busily searching for anything solid that he could use as a step. Nothing much though, except for the commode. He put down the lid, and gingerly climbed on top of it. Pushing out the window panel as far as it could go, he gripped the ledge and heaved himself up.

Instantly, he felt burning fire in his belly, but he stoically held on. Not the time to give in to any pain right now. This could be his only chance to escape his abductor.

"Adam?" Heavy knockings came at the door. "Open up. Why do you lock the door? Adam! Open the door now!"

With much difficulty, Sam wiggled and squirmed through the opening until he emerged headfirst. He was already halfway out, the ledge pushing against his thighs, when the momentum pulled him down entirely. He hit the ground with a jarring crash, sending jolts of pain up and down his body.

"Holy f—" he cursed, as black spots marred his vision.

"_ADAM_!" Angela had begun to scream, kicking the door over and over like a woman possessed.

Whimpering, Sam pressed his fists against the ground and used all the strength he had to push himself up. He placed a hand against the wall for support, and moved as fast as his condition permitted around the house towards the drive way, towards freedom. Maybe, if he were lucky, he could get help from the neighbors.

Only luck wasn't on his side that day.

Angela suddenly rushed out through a side door, brandishing a chopping knife in one hand. She stood smack between him and the front yard, her face a mask of great anger as she asked with sickening sweetness, "Where do you think you're going, husband dear?"

Sam looked behind him, thinking of running the other way. But he knew he couldn't outrun her, not when he was near to passing out from all the pain and exertion.

Sighing, he muttered, "Aw, crap."

**TBC...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi, guys! Guess what? It's the finale!**

**Here it is. So, enjoy!**

* * *

"Angela Morris, thirty-nine. A real estate agent, husband deceased. She lives alone at 53 Hillview Boulevard," Sergeant Parker briefed the team as they sped in their SUVs towards the target house. "Okay, guys. We need to treat this woman with kid gloves. She is in denial, cannot accept her husband's death. There's no history of schizophrenic, but she's definitely disturbed and delusional. Her mental state is fragile right now so we gotta approach her carefully, lest she does something drastic."

"What, I don't get to bitch-slap her?" Jules mumbled.

Sitting behind the wheel, Ed gave her a telling look, to what she said, "Fine I'll be professional. No bitch-slapping."

Amused, the corner of Ed's mouth lifted.

"I can't guarantee of no hair-pulling, though," Jules then added as an afterthought, causing him to chuckle.

"Relax," he said, "Sam knows how to take care of himself."

"Not when he's as weak as a newborn kitten," she muttered under her breath before staying quiet for the rest of the journey.

With their sirens and cherries off, Team One pulled to a stop in front of the Morris's residence, blocking the driveway. They instantly broke into two teams, getting into their routine formations.

Spike and Raf were running towards the back of the house when they suddenly announced through the radio, "We've got movements on the west wall. It's the woman. She has Sam with her, and she's armed with a chopping knife!"

True to their words, the subject emerged seconds later, dragging Sam by the arm. Their erstwhile missing teammate could barely stand, looking as if he had been run through a wringer, his face pale and drawn. The white t-shirt he was wearing was already spotted with blood. It didn't seem as if he had been stabbed, though. Must be the stitches from the surgery. The ordeal he had gone through was obviously ruining the surgeon's entire good work.

Upon seeing the SRU team, the woman came to an abrupt halt and glared at them in distrust. "What are you doing here? Get off my property!"

"Ma'am." Parker made his approach, his arms raised in an appeasing manner. "Angela Morris? How're you today?"

"What do you care?" she snapped back, "Get off my property, I said!"

"Sorry, I can't do that, ma'am," he replied with a kind smile before turning to Sam. "You're okay, buddy?"

Grinning weakly, Sam shrugged. "Sure. I'm having a blast."

"Stay cool, okay?"

"Yeah, I'm cool."

"Go away! Leave us alone!" Brandishing the knife wildly about, the woman continued to scream, "This is between me and my husband. Do not interfere!"

She yanked Sam back towards the house, causing him to cry out as he stumbled, almost falling.

"Boss, she's escalating," Ed commented from his sierra position a few yards away, his MP5 pointing straight at the subject's head.

"Yes, she is," Parker agreed. "It's a tunnel vision to her now. She can't see reasons."

"Let me talk to her, Sarge," Jules volunteered. "I think what she needs is another woman's voice."

"Are you sure, Jules?" Parker had to ask, knowing how important Sam meant to her. "Sure you can do this?"

Giving her boss a direct look, she nodded. "Yes, I'm sure."

The Sergeant inclined his head in consent. "Okay. The floor is yours."

"Thanks, Boss."

After a deep breath, Jules stepped forward. "Hi, Angela. My name is Jules."

The subject looked warily at her. "Yeah, so?"

"We're not here to harm you. We're here to help."

"I don't need any help. Just go away."

"Can we talk, at least?"

"What's to talk about? I don't even know you."

Jules emitted a reassuring smile. "But we know you, Angela. We know you're a good woman. We also know you love your husband very much."

At this, the subject's face softened a bit. She turned to gaze lovingly at Sam. "Yes. Yes, I do love him."

"If you love him, then let us take him to the hospital, where he can get immediate medical assistance."

"Hospital? No!" the woman shouted as she waved the chopping knife, almost hitting Sam in the face. "He's not going back there! They will kill him!"

"Who will kill him, Angela?"

"The doctors, the nurses. They don't know what to do to make him better. They just said things we wanted to hear. Adam will die in their hands!"

"Angela? Angela, please listen to me," Jules beseeched, putting up a placating hand. "I can see you're very worried about him. So am I."

In the space of a heartbeat, Sam's and Jules' gaze met, and held. They spoke without saying, silently assuring each other that everything would turn out fine.

"I admire the great love you have for him, Angela. And how strong you fight for him," Jules continued. "But if you don't let him go with us, he _will_ die."

"No, he won't," the woman shook his head. "I…I can make him get better. What he needs is tender loving care, that's all. He will be okay if he stays with me."

"Look at him, Angela. Just _look_ at him!" Jules started to raise her voice. "Can't you see? He's dying. He won't last long if this goes on."

The woman turned to Sam, a bit puzzled to see him blinking back at her uncertainly.

Now Jules felt like bitch-slapping Sam for being so dense. "See, Angela? He is _dying_."

Turning to Jules, Sam noticed the meaning glare she was sending him. _Then_ he understood. "Oh! Oh, right. I…uh…I don't feel good."

He made a show of grabbing his chest, and grimaced as if in great pain. "I…I can't breathe. Help…"

Parker exchanged looks with Ed, and they both rolled their eyes. Sam's poor acting was not going to win him any Gemini awards, that was for sure. But at least it got the message across.

"Adam? Adam!" Dropping the butcher knife, Angela grabbed Sam around the shoulders as he slumped to the ground. She looked at Jules, and cried out, "What's wrong with him? Please, do something!"

With the subject now unarmed, Team One quickly rushed over. Raf grabbed the knife she dropped, while Ed and Spike bent over Sam. Jules pulled the woman away, speaking in soothing words, "It's okay, Angela. He'll be alright. Let them help him."

Relieved that the takedown had gone well without any harm fallen to either subject or hostage, Ed patted Sam's cheek. "It's over, Samo. You may drop the act."

No response. Sam continued to lie still on the ground, his eyes firmly closed.

Frowning, Ed shook his shoulder. "Sam? Can you hear me?"

"Hey, buddy. Quit fooling around, will ya? Get up now." This came from Spike, who sounded a little shaken.

"What's wrong, guys?" Jules asked, still standing guard over the subject.

"Eddie?" Parker demanded to know, "What's going on with Sam?"

Looking grim, Ed looked up from checking Sam's vitals. "He's not breathing."

"_What_?"

"He actually stops breathing, and I can't find his pulse," Ed repeated, as he and Spike laid Sam flat on his back. "Boss, we need the ambulance here fast. Initiating CPR."

As Spike did the chest compressions, Ed breathed air into Sam's mouth. The rest of the team could only observe in great anxiety. None of them had thought that Sam's act had actually been a real thing.

"That's not Adam."

Jules jerked in surprise when the woman next to her suddenly spoke.

"He's not Adam, isn't he?" Angela asked Jules, her eyes watering. "My husband is really dead?"

Swallowing hard, Jules squeezed the other woman's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Angela."

"What happens to me now?"

"You will get the help you need. You won't go through this alone, I promise you," said Jules, before she turned back to watch as they tried to revive Sam.

"You really love him?"

Startled, Jules swiveled her gaze back at her. "What do you say? How—"

"Girl, I may be delusional but I'm not blind," the woman retorted. "The air sizzles when you two look at each other. I can tell."

Staring open-mouthed at the woman, it took Jules a few moments to register the erupted cheer of her teammates. Sam had regained consciousness.

"God damn it, Sam!" Spike groused, "You scared the hell out of me!"

"If you had not gone cardiac just now, I would have choked you myself!" added Ed, his head shaking. "Do that again and I will shoot your ass!"

Coughing for air, Sam looked up at them. "But it was good acting, no?"

Ed swore, while Spike made a move as if he wanted to wring Sam's neck. Laughing ruefully, Parker knelt down next to him and asked, "How did you even manage to do that, Sam?"

"Yoga," was Sam's short reply, accepting the hand that Raf offered to pull himself upright.

"_Yoga_?" Ed remarked in disbelief. And then, without a word, he smacked Sam upside the head.

"Hey! What's that for?" Sam cried out, rubbing his smarting head.

"_That_ is for being such an idiot!" the team leader fumed. "You could have killed yourself, you crazy twit!"

"Okay. Sorry for getting carried away with the yoga thing. Didn't expect to actually lost control like that."

"Sam, you literally put your life in our hands," Parker remarked, patting the younger man's shoulder.

"Well, I have complete faith in my team. What, shouldn't I?" Sam asked, slightly sheepish. He then looked up to find Jules glaring at him. "Thanks, partner. That was quick thinking."

"You're a jerk, you know that?" she shot back, handing over the now calmed subject into the custody of the unis who had just arrived. Stifling their smiles, the rest of Team One looked the other way. Obviously, Jules would give Sam a lot of grief over that yoga stunt.

Clearing his throat, Sam indicated the woman who now sat in the back of a patrol car. "So…um…how's Angela doing?"

Sighing, Jules came to sit on her haunch, facing him. "She's going to need help to get over her grief. There might be a relative somewhere who can look after her. I kind of feel sorry for Angela, you know. To lose someone you love like that, it must be terribly hurtful. I don't how _I_ would react."

Sam held her gaze, fully understood what she's trying to say. He would have kissed her there and then if not for their hovering teammates. Instead, he teased her, "You would kidnap a fetching SRU officer just like Angela did, maybe?"

If her glare could burn, Sam would have turned to ashes on that very spot! Luckily, he was saved by the arriving ambulance.

"Ah, your favorite ride is here," Raf commented with a straight face.

Sam briefly closed his eyes and groaned. "Do I have to? Can't I just get a lift in the team's truck?"

"Definitely not," said Parker, grinning. "Think of it in a positive way, Sam. You're the first among us who gets to ride in an ambulance _twice_ in one day."

That threw the entire team into laughter, while Sam whined and moaned like a man being sent to the guillotine.

When Sam was being loaded into the ambulance, Jules wistfully looked on. Parker noticed this and told her, "Go on, Jules. Stay with him."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Are…are you sure, Boss?"

"Of course, I'm sure," he nodded, smiling. "Besides, our shift is over."

Afraid that the Sergeant would change his mind, Jules leaped into the ambulance and took a seat by Sam' stretcher, holding his hand. They were about to close the door when Spike suddenly cried out, "Wait! Hold on a second."

"What's wrong, Spike?" Jules asked with a frown.

"I almost forgot. Here, give this to Sam," he said, passing her the stuffed toy he had bought at the hospital gift-shop earlier.

"Hey, it's the Pink Ranger! Thanks, buddy." Sam's face brightened as he clutched the thing.

"I heard you told them I look like the girl who plays the Pink Ranger character?" Jules asked him sweetly. Or maybe a little _too_ sweet.

Sam's smile fell flat. He gulped. "Um…guys? A little help here, please?"

"Nope." Chuckling, Ed shut the door. He stood back with the rest of the guys, watching as the ambulance raced away with their two teammates.

"You think they'll be alright in there?" Raf asked, tongue in the cheek.

"Oh, Jules gonna be fine," Parker replied, grinning. "But Sam on the other hand…"

"Gonna wish he were still in the clutches of the subject," Spike laughed. "Jules looks mad enough to whup his ass!"

Putting on his trademark sunglasses, Ed remarked, "Samtastic and his Pink Ranger ride into the sunset. As for Team One, we are all done here so let's roll!"

And so, they all filed into their SUVs and drove away. Their shift was over, but tomorrow would be another exhilarating day for the city most elite squad.

Only they didn't know it yet.

**THE END**

* * *

**Okay! The fic is finished, but my love for Flashpoint still lives on.**

** At first, I haven't thought to turn this into humor. But somehow along the way, I found out that some laughter would be nice. I hope you all enjoy that one. I would like to thank everyone of you for reading. And to those who spent some of their time to review, you guys brightened up my day and make me smile! THANK YOU!**

**How about some more Sam fics? Just tell me you want 'em and I'll start writing now!**

**See you soon!**

**Adromir has left the building ^_^**


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